Supreme Court declines case on making online retailers collect sales taxes

[Chris_]

Supreme Court declines case on making online retailers collect sales taxes

On one of the busiest online-shopping days of the year, the Supreme Court declined Monday to get involved in state efforts to force Web retailers such as Amazon.com to collect sales tax from customers even in places where the companies do not have a physical presence.

The multibillion-dollar issue — which could end tax-free online shopping for many Americans — is one of the most important in modern retailing. Traditional bricks-and-mortar businesses say the online retailers receive an unfair advantage by not having to collect sales taxes in some areas.

All but five states impose sales taxes on purchases, whether online or not, and an increasing number have passed legislation to force online retailers such as Overstock.com and eBay to begin collecting those taxes from customers.

Washington Post

Should be interesting to see how this unfolds.

[freedumb2003b]

Dollars to donuts Amazon retracts its previous agreement to collect Sales Tax in TX and other places.

Or so we can hope!

[Lacarnut]

What a chicken sh!t decision for the SC to decline taking this case. In the past, they have ruled against the states that on-line retailers that do not have nexus (a location, salesman, their own delivery vehicles) are not required to collect sales tax due to interstate commerce. Now, every state will file suit.